Treatment

Leafcasting

Book gallery

Parchment gallery

Paper gallery

Ox

Bull's Head, Italian Watermark 1486

Treatment Leafcasting

Leafcasting

Leafcasting of a mould damaged pre famine rent book

Leafcasting is a method of adding new paper infills of heavily damaged paper documents.

The documents are placed on a fine mesh in the leafcasting machine and submersed in water containing paper pulp. The water with pulp runs through the gaps and missing parts where new paper is deposited.

The flow of water also washes out dirt and discolouration of the documents. Water is is also benificial to paper is it restores the bonding between the paper fibres. Decayed parts of the document are strengthened with Japanese tissue paper.

The next photos will show you the treatment process.

Before treatment After treatment

The cover before treatment

 

The cover before treatment

The cover after treatment

 

The cover after treatment

 
The front edge before treatment

 

The front edge before treatment

The front edge after treatment

 

The front edge after treatment

 
Clearly visible mould damage before treatment.

 

Clearly visible mould damage before treatment.

After treatment with new paper in fills.

 

After treatment with new paper in fills.

 
Mould damage before treatment.

 

Mould damage before treatment.

Mould damage after treatment.

 

Mould damage after treatment.

 
Taking the book apart and dry cleaning

 

Taking the book apart and dry cleaning

Leafcasting machine and drying rack

 

Leafcasting machine and drying rack

 
Soaking the pages in preparation for the leafcasting

 

Soaking the pages in preparation for the leafcasting

The pages in the leafcasting machine with fresh new paper in fills

 

The pages in the leafcasting machine with fresh new paper in fills

 
Reinforcing the mould damaged parts with Japanese tissue paper and sizing the whole page

 

Reinforcing the mould damaged parts with Japanese tissue paper and sizing the whole page

Knocking on the tissue paper with a brush

 

Knocking on the tissue paper with a brush

 
After drying the pages are reassembled into sections. The sections are sewn back together

 

After drying the pages are reassembled into sections. The sections are sewn back together

The book block sewn on vellum strips.

 

The book block sewn on vellum strips.

 
Glueing the spine with rabbit skin glue

 

Glueing the spine with rabbit skin glue

New boards are attached with parchment patches.

 

New boards are attached with parchment patches.

 
The back cover before treatment

 

The back cover before treatment

The back cover after treatment

 

The back cover after treatment

 

 

Search the site

Client login

L:
P:
Lost password?

Related website

Piggelmee Books